5 simple steps: how to organise your makeup bag to have happy, healthy skin.

Guest post by Zara Lewis

Why not declutter your makeup bag to become a beauty friendly zone?

Everybody knows the importance of using eco-friendly products which are good for the health of our planet, but what about our own health? With every aspect of life being practically ‘poisoned’ with genetically modified food, artificial ingredients, and synthetic products, it is extremely difficult to live a truly healthy life, but that doesn’t mean we should not try. Eating clean we can manage, but what about makeup?

Clean up – seriously!

Throw everything out – on the table, of course, and wash the empty bag (hand wash if necessary, and throw in washing machine if not).  While the bag is drying, take a good look at everything you have spread all over the table or counter. Anything that leaks or looks broken should leave your makeup bag immediately. Old mascaras which are dry already? Old foundations even though you have new ones? More than 3 eyeliners? Out with them and good riddance! Six packages of eye shadows that fall apart and smell funny? You should switch to organic eye shadow instead, it’s much healthier and easier to use. Dirty old makeup you seldom use is the perfect place for bacteria to grow, and you don’t want that on your face, do you?

Make your own lip balm

Make your own lip balm DIY

We all have a lip balm in your makeup bags, but we seldom look at the labels. If you want to steer clear of chemical-ridden lip glosses and lip balms, make your own using only four ingredients:

  • Mango or cocoa butter (2 tablespoons)
  • Virgin coconut oil (2 tablespoons)
  • Beeswax, shredded (2 tablespoons)
  • Vanilla extract (1 tsp)

Mix all ingredients except vanilla in a mason jar, and place it in water which you slowly heat so that oil and wax melt. Once melted, add vanilla and pour into lip balm containers.

Forever Living Aloe Lips Skin Care Review
Photographed by Imogen Howkins

 

Protect your hands

We tend to forget about our hands until they become dry and itchy, and then it takes them long to recover. Many women choose to carry hand moisturisers in their bad, but not in their makeup bags, so when the change handbags it stays forgotten. Find a healthy hand moisturiser that supports skin’s natural moisturising factor which is perfect for staying hydrated and well protected.

Stay (healthily) covered

By using primer, foundation, bronzer, and highlighter you are definitely clogging your pores and damaging your skin (not to mention clogging your makeup bag as well!). So try swapping them for a healthier option and try mineral foundations instead. Not only are these natural and extremely good for all skin types, but they cover our skin wonderfully and give it a health glow. Today you have much more foundations on the market and you can choose loose powders, tinted moisturisers, and liquids.

Keep your brushes in order

Sleek Makeu Brushes review
Photographed by Imogen Howkins

It doesn’t really matter whether you use natural or synthetic brushes or what brand name is written on the handle, the most important things is to keep them clean. If you are worried about using too aggressive chemicals which might get stuck between bristles, you can use simple ingredients which are more than effective: dish soap and olive oil. Mix two liquids together and work wet brush into the mixture, rinse thoroughly while gently squeezing so that water reaches every bristle, and leave to air dry (handle should be higher than bristles). If you use sponges, wash them with soap at least once a week.

MAKEUP BRUSHES WHAT TO BUY

Decluttering your makeup bag is not easy, especially if you are a beauty addict who is in love with every single one of her eyeliners, lipsticks, and nail polishes, but you have to draw a line somewhere and get rid of things you no longer use. Don’t forget that consistency is the key – keep your makeup bag clean and your skin healthy, clean up the clutter which will inevitably show up at least twice a year, and make sure you only use products that are not past their expiration date.

Guest post by Zara Lewis.

You can find Zara here:

http://highstylife.com

I would like to Thank Zara for such a fabulous and helpful post! If you would like to write a guest post for my blog please contact me :

miniaturemilk@gmail.com

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TAKING SMART DRUGS TO BECOME A BETTER BLOGGER?

This is not click bait people…keep your eyes peeled for the Smart Drugs and I’ll be on to that later!

Having creative block is super annoying when it comes to blogging! I think we’ve all been there! No matter how hard you try to get motivated sometimes it’s just too much! Whether it’s life stuff in general that gets in the way, your mental health playing horrid tricks on you or that creative spark just isn’t igniting, sometimes no amount of guilt will get you back on track. But I’m here to hopefully give you a helping hand, a little nudge in the right direction! Here are my ideas, tips and tricks to help you get out of your rut!

 

Blogging tips and blog post ideas

 

Read a magazine! Sometimes reading a magazine like vogue or instyle can give you an idea for a fashion styling post, they also feature lifestyle pieces which may spark an idea for a tagged or list post! And if you need to save on pennies (like me!) then I’ve listed some magazine type websites to get those creative juices flowing!

VOGUE
IN STYLE
THE SUNDAY TIMES
ELLE
STYLIST
GQ MAG
MENS HEALTH
WOMENS HEALTH MAG

Tips to crack writers block

I also love to look at other bloggers for inspiration, sometimes you can find someone who’s on a similar level to you are or they may have similar interests, tips and tricks – Where better to find inspiration!? None other than bloggers themselves! I’ve listed some of my favourites in topic order! Please feel free to write in the comments who your fav inspirational bloggers are.

http://www.poppydeyes.com/ 

Poppy Deyes writes about Travel, food and Lifestyle but I go to her for some serious photography inspiration, also I love her layout!

http://www.thebrokebackpacker.com/

If you want some travel inspiration look no further than Will’s blog ‘The Broke Backpacker‘ – claims he spent travelling around Asia on $12 a day including flights! Now if that doesn’t get the travel bug going I don’t know what will! (See what I did there, Don’t know what Will…Will’s blog, Will writes The Broke Backpacker, No, OK.

http://www.tanyaburr.co.uk/category/travel/

OK, so some of Tanya‘s posts are totally unattainable from my point of view because, YOU KNOW, I unfortunately don’t have a spare couple of grand to travel to the Maldives, New York or go on an African Safari. BUT, I love Tanya’s travel posts none the less and if anything Tanya gives me inspo to get my saving hat on, it’s Tanya!

http://skinnedcartree.com/ | http://slimmedcartree.com/ http://geekedcartree.com/

Corinne from Skinned Cartree is one of my all time favs, i’ve learnt SO much from her blogging tips and when I feel like I’m in a bit of a blogging rut, I know if I turn to her site I come away feeling like MR T! She’s like a blogging queen!


Blogging tips and ideas

Watching YouTube can be a massive inspiration depending on your blog niche. There are plenty of YouTubers creating creative DIY videos, beauty, fashion and travel content. Watching someone else might spark an idea. Here are some of my favs…

Jazzy Bum – DIY / Lifestyle
Soph Does Nails – Beauty, nails and DIY
MamaMia Makeup – DIY and Makeup 

Sometimes life gets the better of us and we simply just need a break from blogging. Try not to feel guilty and put pressure on yourself if you need a break, your blog is your blog and no-one elses that’s the beauty of having your own space! In order to be more mindful and maintain a clear mind why not check out my post on how to stay mindful HERE

Smart Drugs Review

Lastly I’m going to touch upon smart drugs. I use the term lightly… because obviously this is going to extreme lengths and I’m neither for them nor against them, I simply don’t know enough about them. But I wanted to touch upon these as i’ve only recently heard about them through a BBC documentary, but increasingly hearing about people taking them around exam times or performances. Apparently, Modafinil is the only safe smart drug on the market which enhances your concentration for hours, makes you wake up earlier and supposedly makes the brain work ‘quicker’. Cons can include becoming unsociable, mood swings and people have noticed a difference in their mental health when taking it (feeling depressed / feeling anxious). It can be used for narcolepsy, shift work sleep disorder and excessive daytime sleepiness but a growing amount of people are taking it as a performance enhancing drug. So yeah, weighing up the pros and cons do you agree with students / workers and athletes taking such drugs to enhance their working performance? 

 

Let me know in the comments if you agree with people taking ‘smart drugs’ to get ahead.

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SUFFER FROM ANXIETY? YOU NEED TO SEE THIS

Tips on how to cope with anxiety

 

People have very different ways of dealing with stress and anxiety levels, for some going for a walk to clear their head may help, others a little bit of meditation may help. For me, as well as meditation I love practising breathing exercises so when I stumbled across this GIF which has been circulating the internet I couldn’t help but get mesmerised / excited ( a little sad, maybe – but wait until you see it!)

The shape starts out as a triangle, into a square, then a pentagon, hexagon, octagon and so on before folding back into itself – making it extremely satisfying to watch!

Breathing extremely slowely can help with clearing the mind from stressful situations and can often soothe the symptoms of a panic attack. Have a go see if you feel calm and more relaxed!

How to Deal with anxiety as a teen

 

 

If you want any more tips on how to stay motivated and be more mindful read my post here – Let me know in the comments how you may cope with anxiety.

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Tips for dealing with anxietyTips for dealing with anxiety

MOTIVATION AND MINDFULNESS

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IDEAS – GOALS – TIPS FOR A HEALTHY MIND

1.Write your ideas down.

2016 is for new adventures, new challenges and new ideas – All of those ideas you’ve thought of? …Yeah those! You’ve been putting off doing anything with them because for whatever reason something always gets in the way, right? 

1pm tues

It’s like saving money…something always crops up, whether that’s a social gathering, birthday or even a date. When trying to save money always leave yourself breathing room otherwise your setting yourself for a fail. Giving yourself room in your budget makes it ten times easier! This applies to progressing ideas – give yourself breathing room, set yourself realistic goals to make your dreams become reality.

Go grab a notebook and jot your ideas down, whenever you think of something note it down and once you have a bit of spare time do some research in how you can make your idea into reality. If you come to a grinding holt with writers block have a chat with someone about your idea – after all two heads are better than one!

 

2.Write your goals down.

I don’t mean unachievable goals either! Ones which are attainable – being happier in yourself, the holiday you’re saving for, even as small as going a week without alcohol or chocolate. Write down exactly what you want to achieve and why, stick it up on your wall so you can read it everyday. You need a reason why you would like to achieve this goal, there’s no point setting yourself a goal which won’t make you happier, I’m talking about real goals to have a positive influence on your life, not egotistical goals about being rich. These egotistical goals will in the short and long term make you unhappy. If you focus on these kinds of goals you work yourself to death being unhappy and your main focus is money. We’re here for a good time not a long time.

Whenever I feel demotivated I listen to Alan Watts this one gets me every time!

 

By setting yourself smaller more achievable goals you’re motivating yourself to keep going. You will feel so much more satisfied with yourself.

mindful3.Be mindful.

Being mindful really makes a difference to your mental state of mind.

Sometimes I feel myself getting stuck in an anxious state of mind, not being able to complete a task which may seem easy to most – this is the worst way to think when you’re feeling anxious (although it’s easier said than done). When you’re feeling anxious it’s bad enough feeling low and worthless without comparing yourself to others. Certain exercises may help you – although I’m no expert – I’ve listed a few below which have helped me in the past.

  1. Colouring books – My dad laughs when I’ve mentioned adult colouring books before but art therapy is a proven way of expressing yourself and focusing. It’s extremely therapeutic and can improve lives by helping people improve their mental, emotional, and even physical states. It can raise the quality of life for many people, and it’s worth considering if it can aid you in some way or another.
  2. Breathing exercises – Sitting down for 10-15 minutes and breathing can help you be more mindful. Start by breathing in and out slowly. One cycle should last for approximately 6 seconds. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, letting your breath flow effortlessly in and out of your body.Let go of your thoughts for a minute. Let go of things you have to do later today or pending projects that need your attention. Simply let yourself be still for one minute.
  3. Relaxation hynotherapy – I often listen to audio tracks which are there to relax your mind and body. This one I find particularly good and I usually listen to this before bed:

4. Meditation – This can help you be more aware of your thoughts. There are plenty of mediation courses around but if you can’t get out to one you can download an app on your phone to guide you through meditation. I have tried ‘headspace’ and ‘calm’.

New challenges, ideas and goals will make you grow as person, new years resolutions are often forgotten about by this time of year so let’s get back on track. 2016 is for you and when is a better time to start your journey other than now!

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ENTREPRENEURS AND STARTUPS

Since I’m attempting to blog regularly I’m always after constructive criticism and advice…My friend posted this website to her Facebook, it has some really interesting pointers / advice for creatives, entrepreneurs and bloggers.
Check it out. Some of it maybe of use 😊

medium.com